Hypatia Avenue

Running Log: Week #4, commencing Saturday 3 Sept

Despite an enforced 7 day break from anything more strenuous than blowing my nose and complaining, I feel like I've made a lot of progress and was confidently running for almost 45 minutes without stopping. I'm focusing on "not stopping" for now - not concerned with speed or distance right now, I'm just keen to develop good (ie. non-painful or joint-destroying) technique and to keep going for a good length of time without stopping. It helps that I've made a minidisc of music to run to and it is exactly 1 hour - once I hear Prince slinking through the lyrics of Little Red Corvette, I know I've made it past 55 minutes and can slow down. Or go back to the beginning of the disc and keep running... Well, I've yet to even put my trainers on again so we'll see how tonight's run works out...

The Story So Far

Week 1 (of 9) 40 minutes combined running and walking. Total running time: approx. 7 minutes. Distance covered - I could still see my house at every point in my "run." Felt completely shattered and yet keen to run again. Second run was 1 hour combining walking and running with a lot of stopping to "fix" my minidisc player, ie. stand still and get my breath back several times. Disappointing, but was so ashamed, I made myself a training schedule, bought a pedometer and thought about what I would treat myself to after it was all over.

Week 2 (of 9)Bloody hell. It was drizzling, damp and grey but I still ran for a full 30 minutes without stopping. Though I recorded a distance for that run, I've since found out that my running stride is far shorter than I thought. I'd have to dislocate both hips to get the stride I originally thought I could do, so I'm just counting this as 30 minutes, in rain, quite good. Swimming the next day - alternated laps for speed with laps for breathing control. Completely knackered, so tired I had trouble sleeping. Managed another 30 minute run on Thursday and 30 minutes straight running with an extra 15 minutes running and walking on Sunday. Feeling strong and capable. And still so very tired...

Week 3 (of 9)Did a cool 45 minutes running without stopping, playing with minidisc player or splashing contents of water bottle over face by accident. Unfortunately I have picked up a yucky cold from a baby I played with on the weekend and cannot see if I can repeat this for my next run scheduled for tonight. Bending down for a paperclip nearly made me black out today so I think today will be a rest day. With any luck, I'll pick up where I left off on my next run and get up to an hour's solid running by the end of week 4 / beginning of week 5. So little time to do so much running! And when will I swim again?

I'm pleased to say that though weight loss and slimming down was not a priority target in all this running around, it's happened anyway and the little lifebelt I was nurturing between rib cage and hips has shrunk. And - I think I'm coming up with a whole new stretch 'n'tone programme for that exercise video I'm going to eventually release when I'm poor and broke and bankrupt of dignity: The Hypatia Avenue Yoga-Pilates-Ballet Exercise Stretch and Tone Programme - the ONLY exercise programme for extremely small spaces, such as between the sofa and armchair, half wedged between a tottering stack of newspapers and DVDs.

More running, more updates to come...